There are now more active SIM cards than people on Earth

Odds are that if you’re reading this right now, you probably own a phone or a tablet with a mobile data connection. In fact, there is a good chance you have more than one. According to the mobile analytics firm GSMA Intelligence there are currently more active SIM cards on the planet than there are people.

The human population is just a hair under 7.2 billion right now, according to government stats. That number is going up by 1.2% annually, but the number of mobile devices is rocketing skyward even faster. GSMA Intelligence says there are now more than 7.2 billion devices in use and it’s growing at five times the rate of population. Again, that’s based on active SIM cards. So how does that work? Well, clearly there are some people who have work and business phones, and other people who might have a phone and tablet with mobile data.

Nothing about that scenario is truly outlandish until you consider there are still large segments of the population that don’t have need for, or can’t afford a cell phone. According to GSMA Intelligence, less than half the people on Earth have a mobile subscription, meaning those of us with active devices average about two SIM cards each. As more developing nations get cell phone service and the cost of technology comes down, the expansion of mobile services will only continue to expand. Even kids are increasingly likely to have cell phones these days.

There is one notable caveat to the startling ratio of humans to phones. About a quarter billion of the 7.2 billion connections are dedicated to so-called machine-to-machine connections like cars, utility meters, and industrial equipment. That’s still a lot of consumer mobile devices, and it won’t be long before they complete their takeover and we need more pockets to carry all these phones.